Exploring Arizona’s Red Mountain Volcano

Did you know that you can explore the inside of a volcano in Arizona? As you may know from earlier posts, I’m a huge fan of national forests and state parks, but they’re often underrated. Red Mountain Volcano is no exception. Completely underrated, blissfully empty, and surprisingly beautiful. As 2016 comes to a close, instead of a yearly recap, I thought I would share a trip to one of my favorite spots in the United States (so far).

Along highway 180 from Flagstaff

About Red Mountain

It’s not an exaggeration when I say that Red Mountain tops my list of spectacular sites. There’s something magical about walking around inside a volcano that erupted 740,000 years ago. If you can’t get your volcano fix in Iceland, Red Mountain is the next best thing. The star of the park is the amphitheater. The amphitheater is waiting for the traveler at the end of a 1.5 mile hike through the Coconino national forest. It looks like, well, an amphitheater.

Getting There

Getting to Red Mountain is not hard at all. It’s about 40 miles south of the Grand Canyon, and 30 miles north of Flagstaff. Most travelers bypass Red Mountain for the Grand Canyon. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon more times than I can remember, and I’ve always bypassed Red Mountain. Until one day I finally decided to stop.You can’t miss the collapsed cinder cone from the road. However, the view from the road doesn’t give the slightest hint of the geologic wonder hiding in plain sight.

The Hike Into the Amphitheater

The 1.5 mile hike into the amphitheater is extremely easy despite the elevation change (from 6,745 to 7,200 feet). Even after a half-day at the Grand Canyon, this hike wasn’t too strenuous. We had a great time taking in the scenery and listening for mountain lions and bears. Although we didn’t hear any wildlife that day, we did stumble upon the remains of an unfortunate animal. We couldn’t figure out what it was, can you?

Why It’s Important

Red Mountain is one of about fifty volcanoes in the San Francisco peaks. The San Francisco peaks are a chain of volcanoes in northern Arizona. The highest point in AZ (and in the chain of volcanoes) is Humphreys Peak at 12,633 feet. There are hundreds of cinder cones in the San Francisco Peaks, and Red Mountain is just one of them. The volcanoes stretch 50 miles west starting in Williams, Arizona. Many of the peaks and mountains in this region are sacred to the Native American Indian tribes. Also, Red mountain is geologically significant because the internal structure of the volcano is visible and accessible.

800 ft cliff

What we think of as the center of the volcano is not actually the center. The amphitheater that looks like the center is actually a geologic feature formed through erosion. It took tens of thousands of years for this geologic feature to form. The center of the center of the volcano is out of sight on the other side of the 800ft cliff that forms the back wall of the volcano.

Inside the Volcano

Although the hike into Red Mountain is pretty spectacular, the inside of the amphitheater is the real attraction. My first thought is that it’s other-worldly. Standing in the center of something that unique is a complete rush of excitement. Joe said to me that Red Mountain is way more interesting than the Grand Canyon. He’s right. Particularly interesting are the rock formations known as “hoodoos.” No not “Hodor,” but hoodoos. Hoodoos are strange 10-20 ft tall formations topped by dense lava. The dense lava “cap” protects the hoodoo from erosion.

Joe next to a hoodoo

We spent several hours inside Red Mountain wandering around and looking at the formations. The ground is also strewn with minerals that are slowly eroding out of the formations. Pyroxene, Amphibole, Clear Quartz, Pink Quartz, and Green Olivine/Peridot are just a few minerals to look for.

Go Prepared

Arizona is not a place to travel around unprepared. It’s very different from the East Coast. You can drive for hours without seeing a store or another person. Every year there are fatalities from dehydration and exposure. Just Christmas Day at Carr Canyon, (less than 5 miles from my house) someone had to be medically evacuated from the mountain due to a sprained ankle. These warnings aren’t meant to scare you, but to help you prepare for a safe trip while in Arizona.

This was my third trip to Red Mountain and it was empty. We passed another hiker coming down the trail on the way up, but the volcano was deserted, and we were there alone for hours. Be ready to rescue yourself if you go on a hike like this. There is NO cell service at Red Mountain.

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Hi, I'm Jen. Welcome to my blog. Teacher. Historian. Traveler. Nomad. In 2016 Joey and I left our jobs for Mexico and thought we wanted to travel full-time. It didn't take long miss teaching history and having a place to call home. We left Virgina and traveled across the country to Arizona. What a great state for history and nature lovers. One day we may retire to Mexico, but for now Arizona is home. Let's start exploring and see what's out there.

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Great post, Jen. My wife and I will have to visit Red Mountain on a future return visit to Arizona. Living in the PNW, we tend to take volcanoes for granted – within a few blocks of my house, on a clear day I can see Mt St Helens, Mt Hood, and Mt Jefferson. Red Mountain certainly has its own spectacular story and beauty – definitely going to get there!

How was ur AZ visit? I moved here from the PNW with it’s remote 10K + volcanic peaks. A big difference in the volcanic experience here, in AZ, is that one can pretty much walk up to a cinder cone or an ancient volcano neck. I think walking the Ape Caves, S of My St Helen’s was about the same level of intimacy. Enjoy

About Jen

Hi, I'm Jen. Welcome to my blog. Teacher. Historian. Traveler. Nomad. In 2016 Joey and I left our jobs for Mexico and thought we wanted to travel full-time. It didn't take long miss teaching history and having a place to call home. We left Virgina and traveled across the country to Arizona. What a great state for history and nature lovers. One day we may retire to Mexico, but for now Arizona is home. Let's start exploring and see what's out there.